How SSDI Benefits Are Calculated
If you’ve worked enough and paid Social Security taxes, you’ve earned coverage for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits.
SSDI is one of two disability benefits programs that Social Security runs. The other one, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), is based on financial need, not past work and earnings. (We’ll discuss how SSI is calculated below.)
Your monthly SSDI check won’t match your old paycheck. Instead, the Social Security Administration uses a formula that partly relies on what it calls your “average indexed monthly earnings,” or AIME, to calculate your Social Security Disability benefits.
How is Social Security Disability calculated? Your monthly payment is based on:
- Your top-earning working years
- A formula applied to those earnings
- Adjustments for cost-of-living changes over the years
While your specific amount is unique to your work history, national averages can give you a general idea of what SSDI pays.
The averages change every year and vary slightly by state, with Oklahoma typically close to the national average. Here’s where SSDI payments stood in 2025:
- Average monthly check for a worker with disabilities: $1,580
- Maximum monthly amount possible: $4,018
Few people receive the maximum. If you’re getting other types of benefits, like workers’ compensation, your SSDI may be reduced.
In some cases, if your SSDI check is low, you might also qualify for SSI at the same time. This is called concurrent benefits. The Tulsa disability attorneys at Troutman & Troutman can help you determine if that applies to you.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) also produces a statement of your particular record, which gives an estimate of what you would receive in SSDI benefits. You can see your statement by signing up for an online account with the SSA. People over 60 also get statements mailed to them.
At Troutman & Troutman, helping people through the Social Security Disability system is our mission.
How Are SSI Payments Calculated?
How is SSI calculated? It’s completely different from SSDI.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) was created to help people who haven’t been able to work much—or at all—and have serious health problems that continue to prevent working.
Unlike SSDI, which is based on your work history before health problems pushed you off the job, SSI follows a standard federal payment rate.
Your past earnings don’t matter for SSI. Instead, the Social Security Administration pays its basic rate, but with reductions if you have certain other kinds of income.
What does SSI pay? These were the maximum payments set in 2025:
- $967 per month for an individual
- $1,450 per month for a qualified couple
These amounts can go up each year with cost-of-living adjustments (COLA).
Not everyone gets the full amount. To qualify for SSI, you must have very limited income and assets, in addition to work-stopping health problems.
- If you have other household income, such as a pension, unemployment benefits, other kinds of disability benefits, investment income or a spouse’s income, your SSI can be reduced dollar for dollar.
- If you’re working, the first $65 you earn each month doesn’t count.
- After that, SSI reduces your benefit amount by $1 for every $2 you earn from work.
- If you earn too much, SSI will deny or stop your benefits.
Even living with others can impact your benefits. If you live in someone else’s home and don’t pay a certain amount for food and shelter, your SSI may be reduced.
Some states—including Oklahoma—offer state SSI supplements to help cover basic expenses like food and shelter. These extra payments don’t reduce your federal SSI and can be a crucial part of your support.
Figuring out how SSI payments are calculated can get complicated. That’s why many people call us asking, “How is SSI calculated in my case?”
At Troutman & Troutman, our Oklahoma disability lawyers can give you an idea of what to expect, review your situation and help you get the highest benefit amount you’re entitled to receive.
For help on the path to a more economically secure life, contact us now.
Wherever You Are in the Disability Benefits Process, We Can Help
You may be trying to determine if Social Security Disability benefits are right for you. You may be facing a long, complicated benefits application. Or you’ve applied and been denied. Now what? The Troutman & Troutman Oklahoma disability attorneys can help.
Disability Attorneys Answer Your Questions about Social Security
Your life has been disrupted by health problems. You’ve had to leave work. You’re worried about money. Social Security Disability benefits can provide relief, but they’re complicated. You’ve got a lot of questions. The Troutman & Troutman Tulsa disability lawyers have answers.
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